The Falls of Despair
by GirlWonder29
Summary: Kendra Blake is a false name, a fake person. When her mother died, Kendra swore she would keep running from those who would hunt her down. What she didn't bet on was a camp for demigods, and a face from her past she thought she'd lost forever. With the unlikely help of a sociopath child of Hecate, Kendra must find a way to face the truth-before it's too late for them all.
1. Chapter 1

The first time Rin saw the new camper, she had no idea how much trouble she was in.

It was a fairly average day at Camp Half-Blood-well, as normal as it ever got around a magical summer camp for children of actual Greek Gods, with hundreds of campers running around laughing and hoisting weapons around for the fun of it as they made their way to various activities. Rin had different plans. Namely sitting on the roof of the Big House, the main administrative building, with the gracious company of several orange pops, the clouds drifting slowly across the sky.

It was a beautiful day, sunny and bright, and she had every intention of just watching the time fly by.

"You know, you really shouldn't be up there." A voice cut her out of her thoughts; stiflingly reproachful, a clear English accent cutting into each syllable.

She looked all the way down at the porch, raising her eyebrows at the intrusion. "Hey, Arthur."

"Rin." Arthur Newcastle answered shortly, his crossed arms and narrowed green eyes matching his disapproving tone. He had a quiver on his back and a long knife strapped to his belt. He must have just come back from weapons training. "What do you think you're doing?"

Rin shrugged carelessly. "Oh, you know. Admiring the view. Life is short, don't you know."

"Don't you have training?" Arthur asked sharply.

"Probably." She said.

"And you're not in the arena right now because…" He trailed off, waiting for her to finish.

Rin flicked open a can of pop with her fingers, sending the little metal tab flying through the air. "I did training yesterday _._ "

"That doesn't mean you should be sitting around here." Arthur continued to look displeased with the situation, although Rin didn't really see how it was his business to start with.

"If you're going to object, how about you just come up here and do it instead? I don't like having to crane over to talk to you down there."

" _I'm_ not allowed to sit on the roof of the Big House either," He said firmly. "Chiron won't be too happy about that."

She was getting tired of this. Arthur could be good company when he wanted to be, but he had a serious need to loosen up. "Well, he's not here right now, is he?"

"Will will freak at me later." Arthur said. "I'm not even head counselor, I can't exactly just do whatever I want, unlike _some_ people."

She shrugged again, and leaned her head back, closing her eyes. "Suit yourself."

There was a grumble, something about annoying slackers which she readily ignored, and a few minutes later, Arthur was pulling himself up onto the roof, fingers scrabbling for a hold.

Climbing was not exactly his forté. It was always amusing to see him dangling off the climbing wall, however. It was one of the reasons he tried to avoid the lava-spewing obstacle entirely.

She watched him struggle for another minute or so before reaching over to grab his arm and haul him up. "Thanks," He muttered, looking embarrassed by the help, his cheeks flushed.

She decided not to tease him for it though, and looked away. "You're welcome."

* * *

They sat in silence for a few minutes, while Rin allowed her mind to wander. It was far too nice out to have to think about monsters or new quests or whether or not she decided to stay year-round at camp this time. It wasn't as though she had much of a home left to go back to, if any. Arthur however, did have a nice family and house back in England, and he was sure to be leaving to return as soon as the summer ended.

"So why are you up here really?" He asked, taking a long gulp from his pop.

She thought for a moment, deciding how to answer. "I heard there was a new arrival coming."

"So you thought you'd just come up here to...I don't know. Spy on them when they arrive?"

"Maybe."

Arthur sighed, and leaned back, propping his head on his elbows. The sunlight was so bright it made his hair look like a golden halo around his head.

It wasn't too difficult to tell he resembled his godly parent to a certain extent.

"How did you know there was a new arrival?" He asked next.

She resisted the urge to sigh. "You're beginning to sound just like that daughter of Athena. So many questions. So serious. You need to care a little less about answers."

"What, like you do?" He shot back.

She let that comment fly by her with minimal rebuke. "I don't see what you mean."

"You know exactly what I mean. You pretend not to care, but you do. I just can't tell if you don't know how to, or don't know what to care about."

"You've lost me."

He threw up a hand in frustration, but settled with a slight, "At least that means you feel _something_."

She didn't quite know how to respond to a statement like that, so she didn't answer.

* * *

She still had a clear memory of when the tall boy with scruffy blonde hair and fierce green eyes had shouted up at her, asking her why she was spying on him when he had come into the Big House for the first time after arriving at Camp.

She had just stared at him, unwilling to answer until he tried unsuccessfully jumping up onto the roof too, demanding an answer, refusing to leave without one.

It took him about an hour, but he finally managed to grapple his way up a tree and get on the roof with her, where she offered him a pop, and they somehow became friendly with one another, bonding over sugary drinks.

His blunt, no-nonsense personality and fierce competitiveness somehow suited her, and her lethargic attitude was a reason to keep talking to her, trying to motivate her in some way.

From that point on, Arthur became one of the only people who approached and talked her on a daily basis. It was often to scold her like a stand-in parent for slacking around or to ask her countless questions about what she was doing, Rin was used to it by now. Whether or not he did it out of charity or some other misguided reason, she wasn't entirely sure.

One thing was for certain, though. She did know she could trust him.

* * *

"I see Argus' lorry." Arthur sat up suddenly, squinting over at Thalia's Pine, which marked the enchanted border to the entrance.

She glanced at him. "You know it's called a van, right?"

"You Americans and your terms. I'll stick to my _own_ vocabulary, thanks."

"I'm Canadian."

He scoffed infuriatingly. "And what exactly is the big differen-"

She flicked the metal tab of her can at his face, a thinly-veiled threat not to end his sentence.

He stopped, recognizing the warning, but rolled his eyes. "Come on. We should get going before they see us."

"You can go." Rin waved a hand. "But I see no reason that I should leave."

He frowned at that. "You can't be serious."

"Did I give you a reason I wouldn't be?"

"Honestly, Rin." He shook his head. "You have responsibilities!"

"Which I will _get to_ after I make a few observations on our newest camper."

She gazed at him coolly, flapping a hand at him. "Go on. You don't want to get in trouble now, do you?"

"Why do I even bother?" He rolled his eyes and started climbing down. Although to the keen observer, it definitely looked like more like falling than anything.

"Don't hit the porch."

"OUCH!"

"There you go."

He picked himself up, rubbing the back of his head. He shot her one last half-expectant, half-exasperated look before running off towards the Cabins, where the other campers were crowding around in the distance.

* * *

Rin drained the last of her orange pop, and set the can down to throw away later. Argus' van had pulled up just inside the entrance of Camp, and she could make out a tall, muscular figure coming out the driver's side, with another coming out the passenger side, a much smaller figure with dark hair. She assumed that that was the satyr Protector who must have been alerted to the demigod's presence and had escorted them to Camp.

But what drew her attention was the figure who slowly emerged from the backseat, with long dark hair.

That had to be the new camper.

She watched silently as the odd trio made their way past the Pine, where the golden dragon Peleus slept contentedly, the Golden Fleece hanging on one of the uppermost branches, and past the volleyball court, where a few children of Nikes and Apollo were playing. The campers turned to stare at the new arrival, which Rin was sure would unnerve the new meat at least a little, but the newcomer didn't shy away from their gazes as she thought they would.

Interesting.

* * *

It wasn't long before they reached the entrance of the Big House, and she could get a better view of them. She was surprised to see that the satyr was none other than Sebastian, who was instantly recognizable by his tanned skin, dark hair and turquoise square glasses he wore out of habit to pass as human. With his overlarge T-shirt and unzipped hoodie, he could have very easily passed for an average 13 or 14 year old. The main difference was his furry goat legs and hooves. His clothes were muddy and torn, and he walked with a limp.

The camper, likewise, was also worse for wear, with long scratches running down one of her cheeks, and both hands wrapped in bloody bandages.

Argus was the only one who appeared more or less unharmed, but his numerous blue eyes blinked uneasily.

Rin stared at them wordlessly from where she was perched on top of the Big House entrance, wondering whether or not this was a typical monster attack or something worse that had befallen them.

If Sebastian or Argus saw her, they gave no verbal indication, other than a few of Argus' eyes swivelling upwards in her direction.

The new meat however, lifted her head to look back at where Rin was.

Her eyes were an unassuming shade of brown, and Rin immediately had the thought that they didn't look quite natural, as if they were contacts of some sort.

She wasn't certain how she knew, but she could just tell.

Rin looked back unflinchingly, even when the girl's eyes narrowed, either in suspicion or curiosity, she wasn't entirely sure.

Very slowly, she raised her right hand and gave the girl a tiny salute, tapping two fingers against her temple. The girl raised an eyebrow, but said nothing, and didn't acknowledge anything out of the ordinary to either of her two companions.

Rin was intrigued by this lack of reaction right up until the three were greeted by Chiron, who lead them into the Big House.

* * *

The camper hadn't looked like much. Not much taller than Rin herself, which wasn't very impressive, and looked as if a single gust of wind could blow her away. But she had walked with a steady pace, and her eyes...

Rin had had the strangest feeling when she had looked into her eyes. It was as if she had been frozen from the inside.

Was it because of some secret power, or was she imagining it?

Either way, Rin didn't let the thoughts continue for much longer. Like Arthur had so kindly reminded her, she had responsibilities that she grudgingly had to attend to, and could not spend the rest of the day wondering about the new arrival. Besides, Arthur would be badgering her later for answers about the new meat, and there were others she wanted to talk to before dinner that night.

* * *

She gathered up the remaining pop cans, which she would put away for later, and climbed down from the roof.

She caught a flash of brown eyes in the window, and froze. But by the time she stopped to get a better look, they were gone.

She turned back towards the Cabins, and shook her head in silent dismissal.

With a snap of her fingers, she took a step forwards and sank into dense bronze fog, as cold as the dark side of the moon, and dissolved into the Mist.


	2. Chapter 2

"Welcome, Miss Blake."

The legendary centaur greeted her as if this was just a normal day for him. And it might have been, had Kendra not just spent the last three days with a childish satyr named Sebastian running from a horde of ice giants. They had been lucky enough to make it to the van just in time for back-up transport to this Camp Half-Blood.

Now she was here, in this large, farm-like building, and she had no idea what to do next. Her mother would have been furious at her lack of information and plans, but she was gone. It wasn't like she could tell her what to do anymore.

"Chiron," Sebastian said, limping forwards. Both he and Kendra had gotten into some close calls on their way here, including almost getting trampled by an ice giant's foot. "I am so sorry we got here later than was expected."

She was surprised to hear how mature his apology was, considering how when they had first met a few days ago, he had tripped over his own shoelaces, fallen on top of her and started yelling when the giants showed up about how bad that was and how they needed to run really, really, really far away.

The rest of their time escaping across the city followed the same pattern until they had managed to reach the place where the van was waiting to take them somewhere safe.

There was little trace of that awkward elementary school kid appearance now as he waited before Chiron. He stood a little straighter, a little more confident.

"No need to apologize, Sebastian." Chiron's long horse tail flicked behind him anxiously. "It is just a relief that you both made it here safely."

"More or less," Sebastian agreed, then winced. "Ow. OK, maybe less. Yeah, I'm gonna settle for less."

"You should both go to the infirmary," Chiron said concernedly. "After Will takes a look, then we can talk."

Sebastian gave a thumbs-up, then began limping off. Kendra followed, although she was reluctant to. She would rather talk first, and decide where to go from there-whether she needed to get away as soon as possible before it was too late, or whether she could afford to stay here for a short time.

It was never safe to stay in one place for too long, if her mother had instilled any critical knowledge in her mind.

Not with what hunted her.

She could feel Chiron's uneasy gaze from behind her, as if he could somehow read her thoughts, but kept following Sebastian to the infirmary.

* * *

Will Solace was the head counselor for the Apollo Cabin, or so he introduced himself. He was about the same age as her, tall with wavy blonde hair, tanned skin and a friendly smile as he unwrapped her makeshift bandages and instructed her to eat some ambrosia-the food of the Gods, while he cleaned out her wounds with nectar. It was a process she wasn't quite used to, since her mother had mostly had to rely on whatever mortal medicine and painkillers they could get their hands on, but this healing was much more quick, and virtually painless in comparison.

"There you go. You should be up again in no time," Will grinned, and packed up his supplies before moving on to help another Apollo camper with Sebastian, who was stretched out on a bed with his left leg extended.

"Thank you," She called after him, and he waved back without looking up from his work.

She stared down at her hands, which had been bruised and bloody from all the fighting she had been doing, not just the past three days with Sebastian, but from years of being on the run. There was a scar that extended from her left thumb all the way down to her forearm, now exposed since Will had rolled her sleeves up to inspect the more obvious damage. It had been from tearing her arm when fighting a snake woman.

Another scar across the back of her left palm had been from being thrown into a brick wall, deeply scraping her skin.

There were several more scars she had from nearly a decade of hiding, hidden under at least three layers of old clothing.

She was just glad the injuries had mostly been external so Will wouldn't have had to ask her to reveal them as much.

She closed her hand in a fist, and looked back up to where the others were tending to Sebastian.

* * *

There was a dark-haired boy in a black leather jacket who entered and handed Will a juice box. Will took the juice, looking grateful, and kissed the boy on the cheek in thanks. Kendra didn't mean to stare, but the dark-haired boy caught her looking, his pale face flushed, a challenging glare on his face. He muttered something to Will, and the healer turned towards her, his smile still just as friendly, but with a level of wariness.

"Nico, this is Kendra Blake, a new camper. She just arrived this afternoon." He gestured towards her. The boy nodded slowly, his dark eyes unreadable as his gaze swept over her. It was like being X-rayed. "Kendra, this is Nico di Angelo, the Hades head counselor. He's also my boyfriend."

Nico rolled his eyes. "You don't have to introduce me to everyone you meet, Will."

"I guess I'm just better at making introductions." Will countered.

"I can make introductions just fine."

"Last I checked, making shadows swallow the entire room just to say 'hello' isn't what most people are expecting."

"Exactly. It's unexpected. That's what makes it memorable."

Will sighed.

Kendra spent the entire time frozen, from the second she heard who Nico was, to the time he and Will finally stopped bickering.

 _The Head Counselor of the Hades Cabin..._

She had no idea that possibly the most dangerous person in the room was right in there with them all along. She silently prayed he didn't recognize her, every muscle in her body trembling with effort.

It was one of the most difficult things she had ever had to do, but she forced a smile. "Nice to meet you."

To her relief, Nico simply nodded, then nudged Will. "I need to go. The Hecate Cabin is missing their counselor yet again, and I may have agreed to go find her."

Will sighed, as if this was a daily occurrence. "OK. See you at dinner later?"

Nico gave him a crooked smile, but not before sending one last long look at Kendra, her dark hair and torn clothes, before walking out the door.

* * *

"Sorry about that, he gets a little uncomfortable around new people." Will said apologetically. "You'd think he'd have been used to all that by now." He stopped, giving her a concerned look. "He didn't make you nervous, did he?"

"Oh, uh, no." Kendra said quickly, shaking her head. "It's fine."

She thought for a moment before adding, maybe a little forcefully to get Will's attention, "You two look like a nice couple."

Will smiled widely at the compliment, looking a little relieved that she hadn't seemed concerned by their relationship.

Honestly, Kendra couldn't care less about whether or not boys were dating boys or girls were dating girls. She had never really had any time for any sort of personal relationships like that while moving from place to place, and her mother would have been furious if anything had happened otherwise.

It was all about ensuring their safety before all else. Anything personal like that was strictly off-limits. Her mother had drilled this into her head every time she passed a cute boy walking down the street, or saw a pretty girl lost in her music.

Same reminder every time.

"Hey, Kendra?" Sebastian called over, snapping her out of her thoughts. "You OK?"

She nodded. "I'm fine. How's the leg?"

"I'll live." He shifted it a little and groaned. "Probably."

She couldn't help smiling just a little at that. Sebastian may have looked and acted like a total nuisance at first, but he _had_ helped her get away from those monsters, at least for the moment. She had to be grateful to him for that.

"I've _never_ seen monsters act like that before," He continued, big brown eyes wide. "Uh-almost never. There was this one camper awhile back, and well-" He looked a little scared at the thought. "Their powers were going _nuts_. It was crazy."

Kendra wondered if this so-called all-powerful demigod was still alive, and if they were here now. She also wondered why Sebastian looked so nervous at the mention of their powers. Had they really been so bad?

Maybe they could teach her a thing or two about controlling her abilities...if she could afford to stay there for that long.

After all, if it hadn't been for her powers, and her mother's death, those monsters would have never found her, and she would never have had the dire reason to come here in the first place. And now that a _child of Hades_ themselves was here-that could mean revealing who she really was, and put them all in danger.

It changed everything.

* * *

She lurched up, driven by the desire to run again, heart pounding. She should have known better than to assume she could stay there for the time being.

But that was no longer the case.

Ignoring Will's questions about where she was going, and Sebastian's exclamation of "But we just got here!", she bolted for the exit, and sprinted out of the Big House, dragging her backpack behind her.

* * *

She was fast, she knew that only too well, and was out by the volleyball court by the time Will had chased after her in pursuit, followed by more campers.

She made it past the volleyball court, and was just about to hit the hill where the golden dragon rested, heavy bag hitting her back as she moved. She was running so fast, she didn't even see the fist swinging up in front of her until it was too late to stop.

Metal smashed into her gut so hard it sent her reeling and falling forwards, scrabbling ineffectively at the ground on her hands and knees as she tried to breathe. She thought she might throw up if she tried to speak.

She heard Will's voice, uncharacteristically furious, from behind her. " _Gods_ , Rin! Who in their right mind let you on guard duty?"

"Oh, Solace," Someone said over Kendra's head. "If anyone knowingly _let_ me on active guard duty, I would be very concerned for them."

"You can't just go around breaking people!"

"You'd rather I had let her go?" The voice dripped with sarcasm. "Give her some nectar and a lollipop, and she'll be up and running again in no time."

Kendra wrapped a shaking arm around her abdomen, coughing violently. She shot the fiercest glare she could manage up at her attacker.

* * *

The girl standing before her didn't look very threatening, only standing about a little over five feet tall, with olive skin. Her black hair tumbled over her shoulders, swept across her forehead, one thin strand braided down the right side. Her eyes were so dark, she could see her own angry face and expression reflected in them.

With a start, Kendra realized that this was the very same girl she had spotted earlier, sitting on the roof of the Big House staring down at her with a bored look.

The girl- _Rin_ , Will had called her-bent down and tapped two fingers against her forehead in a salute, her lips curling. "Nice try, _new meat_."

"Shut up," Kendra found the breath to snap. She squinted at the object in the girl's right hand, and was immediately embarrassed and confused. "You...hit me with... _a pop can_?"

Rin smirked, and straightened back up. "Oh, look. It knows the names of things." She looked overhead at whoever was standing behind Kendra, her arrogant smile fading. "Oh. It's you, Chiron."

"Correct," The centaur said grimly, coming to stand beside Kendra. "Are you alright? Does Will have to take you back to the infirmary?"

She shook her head, wincing. "...No, I think I'll live."

"For now." Rin spoke up behind her. Kendra shot her another glare, and accepted a helping hand from Chiron to stand back up.

* * *

"I see you've met Miss Lo, of Cabin 20," Chiron said, his tone sounding more apologetic than anything else. Rin nodded mockingly along with the introduction. "Her actions can be rather... _extreme_."

"Yeah, I think I got that," Kendra muttered, shrugging her backpack up further on her shoulder. She pressed a hand to her stomach gingerly, certain it would at least leave a nasty bruise.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Chiron asked again.

Will stepped forwards, looking concerned. "We can go back to the infirmary-"

"No." Kendra said quickly. "But thanks. I'm fine."

Chiron surveyed her silently, before nodding at Will, who understood this as a sign to leave. But before he went, he scowled pointedly at Rin to follow suit. She threw up her hands in an exaggerated gesture, shrugged, and finally decided to comply, throwing one last malicious smile behind at Kendra. Kendra stared impassively back.

Chiron waited until the campers were safely out of sight before gesturing for her to follow him. Kendra still buzzed with the urge to run again, but she had to admit, she wanted to hear what the camp director had to say first.

* * *

Chiron lead her back to the Big House, and up to the next floor, which she assumed was where his office was. It was a large room, comfortable, with a large metal wheelchair with fake legs attached to it sitting in the corner, next to a stacked record player, and a big desk covered in piles of thick books and loose papers. Chiron settled down in the wheelchair, which must have been enchanted, as when he sat in it, it somehow enveloped his entire horse body and made him look as ordinary as any other mortal. He sighed. "Ah, that's better. It can be tiresome, but this does conserve more space."

Kendra nodded distantly, unsure of how to reply, or what to say next.

"May I ask you a question?" Chiron asked, breaking the silence.

She nodded slowly. "Depends on what it is."

"Were you alone when you encountered Sebastian?"

That wasn't too bad. She could answer that. "Yes. I was traveling with my mother, but I have been on my own for a long time now." That wasn't a complete lie.

"What happened to your mother?" Chiron asked next.

She saw it coming, and shortly answered "She died."

Chiron nodded, his eyes filling with sadness at her response. She couldn't help wondering if he could sense her pain, even when left unspoken.

She was grateful that he didn't ask how, or even when it happened, and he moved on to the next question. "Were you claimed before you came here?"

She froze. Nearly an entire lifetime of lies, and even she wasn't sure how to answer that. Chiron patiently waited for her response, no signs of judgement on his face.

"No." It somehow felt worse, this fib, and as soon as she said it, it made her feel like a hypocrite. But how could she hope to truthfully explain who she was?

Chiron nodded slowly, but she still felt as though he could see right through her lies. "I see."

"I...can't stay here," Kendra said, feeling guilty. Chiron and the others had been nothing but kind to her so far, and she had tried to repay them by escaping Camp like it was some prison. The other campers who had seen her so far probably thought she was crazy. But Chiron didn't bring any of that up. He simply said, "Why?"

"Monsters." Kendra said, which wasn't a complete lie. "They've been hunting me for months. They're always on my trail."

"That tends to be the case with most demigods," Chiron replied, a little wearily, as though he had said the same thing many times before. And he probably had. "But you are safe here, my dear. That I can promise. The camp is protected by the barrier, which defends against all monsters, unless they have the express permission to enter from someone on the inside."

She hadn't actually known that, but it did explain why Sebastian had been so insistent that they just had to get to Camp Half-Blood, and they would be safe. That would also explain why none of the campers in there seemed at all worried about the likelihood of a huge monster attack.

* * *

"Oh," Kendra said, feeling a little foolish, but still wary. "Alright. But what about mortals?"

"The same difference," Chiron answered. "No mortal may enter without permission."

 _Not even mortals could get in…_

That was by far the best news she had heard all day. It changed things, now that she knew that piece of information. If only her mother had known that.

If only she had known about this place sooner, then...things might have been different..

"OK." Kendra said. "So _only_ demigods can get in here, then?"

"For the most part, yes," Chiron said, looking a little suspicious at her reconfirmations.

"This is a training grounds for young half-bloods. You _will_ be safe here. That is, if-" He raised an eyebrow at her. "- _If_ you decide to stay."

* * *

Kendra bit her lip, and looked to the side, out the window. She could see the campers from earlier had resumed their game of volleyball, laughing as they tossed it up and over the nets. Farther, in the distance, she could see a ring of gleaming multi-coloured buildings, which she guessed were the cabins. People flocked around them in bright orange T-shirts, some carrying what appeared to be swords and bows and arrows.

Everyone seemed so at peace, so content. It almost seemed too good to be true.

Chiron waited patiently for her response, following her gaze out the window. His expression was fond as he looked on his campers. She would be safe here, he had said. No monsters or mortals come enter without permission.

She could be safe here...if she wanted to remain.

Her mother would have told her to keep running. She would have told her not to trust anyone. But she wasn't there anymore. She was gone. And no matter how much Kendra missed her or wished she could tell her what to do, she was never coming back.

It was time Kendra started making her own decisions.

Finally, she looked up, and smiled. "Yeah. I think...I think I'd like to stay."


End file.
